Our lead item in this winter edition is a frank assessment of the Marketing Association 2 months into its life. First off, not everyone likes it. Some organisations operating in the same sphere have seen fit to shun it. Others with a commercial agenda have sought to discredit it.

Many people may think that Thrupps, whose pay-off line is "grocers of distinction since 1892", would be relatively immune to price increases, considering that many people who shop there are very wealthy.

We also ran an article in the Apr / May issue on transit media that potentially mispresented Provantage Media. Although the heading "Trains, planes, and automobiles" was a play on words alluding to an, 80s film, this is not a true reflection of the scope of Provantage Media's offering.

As the global marketing landscape becomes increasingly cluttered, more brands are turning to television shows for expensive product placement deals. And while product placement is certainly not a new concept, companies are now looking for different mediums through which they can showcase their brand and cut through the clutter. On the other side of the coin, the ability to skip commercials using PVR / DVR technology also means that television programmers are in need of an additional revenue stream to supplement their advertising income.

Just about every item we buy is or was packaged in some way, making appearance something by which a brand can stand or fall. We look at some of the dimensions of this R36bn a year industry in South Africa.

South Africa, is a comparatively violent country. Our past is littered with riots, police brutality, and innocent words like "necklace" becoming fraught with horror. Our present includes violent crime, violent protests, and most recently, xenophobic uprisings. You would imagine that, one way or another, this violence would be reflected in our advertising or in our sensitivities around advertising.

Did you know that as many as nine million SUVs are manufactured annually around the world? That's considerably more than were on the scene when Land Rover first made its call to adventurous spirits 60 years ago. And yet, the popularity of the brand continues to grow in the face of increasing competition.

The Land Rover brand celebrates its 60th anniversary this year, and far from being an ageing dowager, it is kicking its heels like a spring lamb at the prospect of ever-increasing quality and service ratings, and a new owner that is committed to pumping money into new models, high-tech infrastructure, and bolstering its iconic British heritage.

It's Saturday morning at the mall. All around, families are shopping. Whether they're meandering about window-shopping or purposefully striding towards their shop of choice, one thing is clear : the opportunities are rife for savvy marketers to promote their brands to defined target markets with maximum effect.

It is clear that we are in for tougher times this year as petrol and food prices continue to escalate and further interest rate hikes loom over us. As the global economy is also affected by these factors, the big multinational brands will not go unaffected.

'The place "where Smart is" a growing cluster of pioneers, inventors, entrepreneurs and free thinkers... challenged and inspired by breaking new ground... through technological innovation, collaboration and invention'.

The last five years has been a period of unprecedented turmoil and stress for your managers. Whether it's been the excitement of a boom or the challenges of a sudden slowdown, it has often been a tough grind - now it's time to create freshness of vision.

Frequent post, email, sms, to telephone calls relating to some or other direct marketing campaign can alienate and even annoy the consumer - the last thing any marketer wants to do. To curb this practice, the Direct Marketing Association of South Africa (DMASA) introduced the Opt-Out Register in the interests of the consumer, which was implemented in March last year.

In many of Africa's towns and villages, smoky parattin lamps are all that keeps the darkness at bay after sunset. However, parattin is a dangerous and increasingly expensive source of light for Africans who do not have access to electricity - about three-quarters of those living on the continent, according to the World Bank.

Africa was making "very good progress", but must tackle challenges in areas including transportation, infrastructure and water, a senior United Nations commented during the annual Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) that took place in New York.